Not Carlisle - October 5, 2016

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RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 5 October 2016, Not Carlisle
Ride Leader:  Jack Donohue, assisted by Ken Hablow
33.3 miles from Bedford Depot, Bedford, MA

Riders (24): Jack, Ken, Andy Brand, Barry Nelson, Chuck McWilliams, Fred Newton, Ilkka Suvanto, Janet Miller, Jeff Smith, Lindy King, Mike Byrne, Patrick Brennan, Rich Taylor, Rick Lawrence, Robyn Maislin, Romaine Randall, Roy Westerberg, Selig Saltzman, Steve Bogue, Steve Maislin, Tom Allen, Tom Lucas, Veronica Vedensky, and Wing Chow.

Present at lunch:  Helen Greitzer.

Tom Lucas's good bike was at the bike shop for repairs, so he showed up on a single speed and elected to do the bike path instead and meet us for lunch.

Cameo appearance by Butch Pemstein, who discovered he had a flat and decided to abort.

Starting at Bedford Depot is always a problem, since the gathering place is not well defined.  I usually end up waiting at the circle of benches where there is a water fountain and bathroom.  People seem to congregate by their cars for some reason, and the only people to appear were Tom Allen, who rode up on the bike path, and Rick Lawrence.  Despite the fact that the ride announcement clearly said "Bedford Depot," many of the participants seemed to have fond memories of parking across the street next to Bikeway Source on a previous ride.  I spied riders over there and dispatched Tom and Rick to herd them over - their attempt was largely unsuccessful.  I was tempted to stand on ceremony and stand my ground until they came to me or hell froze over, whichever came first, but relented.  Tom reported a Ken sighting, so I called him and asked that he use his stentorian voice to tell the masses to get their butts over here.  That worked and, after collecting names, it was time to ride.

The group was a bit large, so I was trying to encourage people to break up into smaller groups leaving a gap between groups.  This has rarely worked in the past, since people, seeing a two second advantage by joining the group ahead, will blithely abandon their assigned group.  Ken, as usual, was looking for a faster group, so I let him siphon off the speed demons and do his own ride.  This left me with a manageable sized group, so the gap concept was abandoned.  In fact, however, we did have a bit of gap for most of the ride, with each group in sight of the next.  We needed few arrows, and those who assumed the position didn't have to wait very long.

I was going to do one of my tried and true routes, but instead I came up with a completely new route.  It could have been called the "One-third Century" ride since it came out to exactly 33.3 miles.  Or it would have if my little excursion down a short stretch of dirt road hadn't been outvoted.  The route probably had more new pavement than my "Smooth as Silk" ride and was pretty traffic free, the major obstacles being road construction and the lawn service van slalom course.

Robyn and Steve got to revisit their old house on Annursnac Hill Road.  Strangely enough, they don't miss doing that climb every day.

Most everyone on the ride went to Ken's Deli for lunch (not our Ken, another Ken), joined by about one hundred high school kids (don't they have cafeterias any more?).  I was envious of Jeff's beer, but I figured if I had one, I would definitely need a nap.  There was a Kaz sighting at lunch.

Thanks to Tom Allen for sweeping.

Report by Jack Donohue.

Ken led a breakaway group of eight riders at a more spirited pace.  With all the riders compatible, we never needed arrows or a sweep - we stayed together for the entire ride.  We rode at an average 14.3 mph pace and got back to Bedford at 12:30 pm. 

Report by Ken Hablow.

Bonsai Run - September 28, 2016

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RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 28 September 2016, Doug's Fabulous Bonsai Ride

Ride Leaders:  Doug Hobkirk & Jack Donohue

40 & 34 miles from Nashoba Valley Ski Area Westford, MA

Riders - 40 mi (10): Doug, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dave Balaban, Gene Ho, Julie Dodd, Kaz Zelny, Neil Martin, Tim Wilson, Veronica Vedensky, and Wing Chow.

Riders - 34 mi (11):  Jack, Chuck McWilliams, Don Buchholtz, Gardner (Sandy) Gray, Jack Mroczkowski, Janet Miller, Jeff Smith, Martha Soper, Ray Komow, Tom Allen, and Tom Lucas.

 

The ride was excellent - we rode as a group and we had virtually no arrows.  The heart of the ride (miles 9-27) was almost completely devoid of traffic (excluding 800 yards on Rte 40 and a half mile on Rte  113) - maybe 5-8 cars passed us.  FEW cars, but LOTS of other cyclists!

We passed the short riders at mile 3 (shift cable issue), then again on Roller-Coaster Road at mile 12 (flat tire) - they had taken a shortcut to get ahead of us.  And then we ran into them again at Dunkin Donuts.  Whew!  Half the long riders dawdled in Dunkin Donuts, while five stalwart riders waited at the intersection (I could never be as patient as they were), so I suggested they join the short group.  After what seemed like two to three hours at DD, we left and continued on the ride.  The rest and food amped everyone up - lots of chat - but we humped the final thirteen miles, passing the short riders at mile 35.  That was a lot more interaction between our two groups than I would have thought possible. 

The temperature dropped just before we arrived at Bonsai West, so we at inside one of the barns.  Good food, cider, and apples (thank you, Kathy!).  The convivial atmosphere inside a primitive shelter was very pleasing.  Then I got to spend some time with Michael Levin, Mister Bonsai West, capping a superb day for me.

The "Rally Ride" arrows (marking the route from about mile 2 to mile 29) were reassuring (I always use them on the sweeping curves on Keyes Road).  Weather report said there was not much chance we could avoid getting wet, but we and the roads stayed dry.  Everyone, including me, avoided mishaps.  I was tired!  This was my first long ride since my accident in June.

Thanks to Gene Ho for sweeping and to all the hardy souls who ventured out and made the ride such a success. 

Report by Doug Hobkirk.

Having no prior knowledge of the route, I was an excellent choice to lead the short ride, but, armed with my RideWithGps app, I was sure I could do it.  Weather report was discouraging and I thought I might be off the hook for leading, but I woke to an email from Helen saying the ride was on.  This turned out to be an excellent decision, since, while we had a bit of moisture for most of the ride, there was no serious rain.

I had some insider information from Ken Hablow that the route included a dirt path.  This conjured up images of knarly single track and I am too old for a faceplant, so I modified the route to avoid the dirt.  Truth in advertising, it was no longer a 34 mile ride, merely 33.5 miles, but I took the liberty of rounding up.

Very early in the ride Tom L. broke his rear derailleur cable.  He managed to move the stop screw so the chain was two up from the smallest gear, still a pretty hefty gear (especially facing the ups and downs of Lost Lake Road).  However, he soldiered on with his two speed and managed to make it over the hills - quite impressive.

The group mostly stayed together, arrow services not required for the most part.  At one point I received a call from sweep Tom A., telling me that Janet had a flat tire, but they had it under control.  So we whiled away the wait time with an impromptu photo shoot.  While we were waiting, the long riders came by.  Doug was puzzled as to how we got ahead of them and I fessed up to my route deviation.  After Janet and Tom showed up, we were off again.

Things were going swimmingly when disaster struck -- the phone I was using for navigation unilaterally decided to reboot itself.  Fortunately, there were others in the group that were GPS-enabled.  I was later able to resuscitate the app and to my delight found it still had the route.

I hadn't worked out a rest stop, and regrouping wasn't needed, so we waited 'til Dunkin Donuts in Westford, where we had another photo op (this time with Tom and Janet).  Some of us used the opportunity for a feeding. And, once again, we mingled with the long riders who showed up shortly after we arrived.

Then back on the bikes for the finish of a lovely ride.  Thanks to Tom Allen for sweeping and flat repair assistance.  Thanks also to Doug for planning the ride and arranging for lunch at Bonsai West.

Report by Jack Donohue

At the Start

Waiting for the flat repair

Short ride riders in front of Dunkin' Donuts

Around Boston - September 21, 2016

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 21 September 2016, Around Boston
Ride Leaders:  Tom Allen & Fred Newton
41 & 32 miles from Larz Anderson Park, Brookline, MA

Riders - 41 mi (9): Tom, Bob Apsler, Dave Balaban, Ellen Gugel, Gene Ho, Greg Stathis, Selig Saltzman, Steve Bader, and Wing Chow.
Riders - 32 mi (10):  Fred, Chuck McWilliams, David Kobes, Dmitry Gorenburg, Gary Smiley, James Hsia, Janet Miller, Jeff Smith, Romaine Randall, Steve Bogue, and first-timer Kayo deOliveira.

As Fred notes below, it was an ideal September riding day with the last day of summer bringing a strong surge of summer weather with it.  The two groups stayed together for the first half dozen miles as we climbed the gradual slope of Bellevue Hill and schussed down Enneking and Turtle Pond Parkways.  Saying goodbye to the 32 milers at Readville, we started up the hill to Blue Hill and made a dehydration/rehydration stop at Houghton's Pond recreation area.

We were treated with lovely riding and exhilarating downhills on Chickatawbut and Wompatuck Roads.  Meandering through Quincy and Milton brought us to suburbia where we connected to the Neponset River Trail.  As the trail ended in Dorchester, we dealt with some more urban conditions getting to the Harbor Walk, around UMass Boston and the Kennedy Library, and on into South Boston.

The South Boston "Innovation District" was a riding mess.  I apologize to my (and Fred's) riders for the torn up condition of the roads and the resulting traffic.  We did work our way to the harbor path by the Moakley Courthouse and over the Seaport Boulevard bridge into downtown Boston.  Crossing into Charlestown via the Charles River Dam locks (See Fred's description below), we crossed under the Zakim Bridge and on over to the Paul Dudley White bike path.

Our group was surprised to find the we were nearly caught up with the short riders at the restaurant where a subset of us joined them for a pleasant lunch. (Others rode directly back to the the start or other destinations to keep schedules.)

Thanks to Greg Stathis for serving as sweep for the 41 mile route.

Ride Report by Tom Allen.

The shorter ride was a delight, with a perfect day and temperature of 73 at the start, rising to 84 - 86 for most of the ride, and spiking to 90 a couple of times.  We were cooled by a nice breeze once we hit the harbor and the Charles River.  Out of the 32 mile total distance, there were eleven miles of bike paths, free of vehicular traffic, including the Neponset Bikeway, Harbor Walk, and the Emerald Necklace paths.  The road traffic was fairly light outside of downtown Boston, but painted bike lanes in Boston helped keep us safe.

Thanks to Janet for suggesting, and convincing Tom, to omit the Washington Street bridge in favor of crossing the locks via Beverly Street, where we walked our bikes and enjoyed seeing the locks close up.  Also, thanks to Gary for pointing out the Charlestown Bells which most, if not all, of us enjoyed playing upon entering Charlestown.

Four of our group had a very tasty lunch at Audubon Boston and we were joined by four of Tom’s long group, who arrived about ten minutes after we did.  I recommend the veggie burger!

Thanks to Steve Bogue for sweeping the 32 mile route.

Ride Report by Fred Newton.

Seacoast Ride - North Shore - September 14, 2016

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 14 September 2016, Seacoast Ride - North Shore
Ride Leader:  Gardner (Sandy) Gray
30 miles from Nahant Beach, Nahant, MA

Riders (12): Gardner, David Wean, Don Buchholtz, Everett Briggs, John Roberts, Scott Bernstein, Selig Saltzman, Steve Bader, Stuart Kaufman, Tom Allen, Wing Chow, and first-timer Ray Komow.

After a shaky start, we were all able to get together for a fabulous ride along the coast, through Nahant, Swampscott, and Marblehead, and featuring spectacular views of Boston. Most of the riders had not visited many of the sites, while those who were familiar with the area suggested adding extra loops that contributed to what some called, a WW top 10 route.

After the ride several of us enjoyed an excellent seafood lunch at the Tides Restaurant overlooking Nahant Beach.

Ride report by Gardner Gray.

Cape Ann Artists ride - September 7 2016

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 7 September 2016, Cape Ann Artists ride
Ride Leader:  Selig Saltzman
32 miles from Fisherman’s Monument, Gloucester, MA

Riders (3):  Selig, David Kobes, and Jim Cant.

The rain stopped and the sun shone at 10:00 am, so the only two arrivals were given what travel companies call a small group tour.  The usual points of artist related and scenic interest were visited, with many opportunities for photographs, including the Hopper house, the life size giraffe, and the fisherman's statue.

Lunch was at Willow Rest - good as usual.  There were no mishaps.  The ride leader hopes that his two guests enjoyed the day and were not overwhelmed by the commentary.

Ride report by Selig Saltzman.

Photo by David Kobes

Cape Ride - August 31, 2016

Ride Report

Wednesday, August 31, 2016, Cape ride - Dennis Beaches
Ride Leaders:  Larry Kornetsky & Joe Tavilla
32 miles from Chapin's restaurant, Dennis Port, MA

Riders (13): Annemarie Altman, Rich Boretti, Larry Decker, Ed Foster, Robin Frain, Tom Galib, Pati Kent, Larry Kornetsky(leader), Rich Mandel, Don Mannes, Lou Outor, Susan Sabin, Joseph Tavilla

Thirteen riders met in Dennis Port for a tour of the Dennis beaches.  We started out on the south side, riding along the coast to West Dennis Beach.  Then we headed north to Chapin Beach overlooking Cape Cod Bay.  After a short break, we rode along the north side, weaving in and out of beaches and streets with gorgeous landscaping.

Back at the parking lot, most riders stayed for lunch and had sandwiches at Dolly's Sandwich shop. Thanks to Ed and Joe for sharing the sweeping, and to all the arrows for arrowing.  Only once did an arrow leave his/her post too early, but the lost riders were able to find us.

Ride report by Larry Kornetsky.

NH Seacoast - August 24, 2016

Ride Report - NH Seacoast August 24, 2016

On a picture perfect day and with no incidents, a pleasant ride along the coast of NH was enjoyed by all riders as well as the ride leaders. After lunching in Portsmouth we returned to the start via mostly the reverse route. Joanne Samuels remoted from her home in Portsmouth and met up with the group at The Beach Plum in Rye. This is still for many riders a favorite ride, which was started by Dick Arsenault many years ago.

Report by Jacque Smith

Riders: Bob Apsler, Dale Ferguson, Gardner Gray, Gene Ho, Jack Mroczkowski, Janet Miller, Joanne Samuels, Joe Marcangelo, Maurice King, Rich Taylor, Richard Fortier, Selig Saltzman.